User Reviews

Having already made a version of the story in 1919 as Marked Men with Harry Carey, John Ford clearly had a kink for this delightful redemption parable. Opening with a touching tribute to his friend and mentor Carey, who had sadly passed away the previous year (and who also starred in the 1916 version of The Three Godfathers), it was also the first out and out Ford Western to be made in colour.

The story tells of three outlaws - Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pedro "Pete" Fuerte (Pedro Armendariz) and The Abilene Kid (Harry Carey Junior) - who after robbing a bank in the town of Welcome, are on the run from the law led posse. After hitting problems in a desert sandstorm, the men struggle on to Terrapin Tanks, where they happen across a woman in labour. Giving birth to her child, but sadly on her death bed, the woman begs the men to take care of her baby. They agree and embark on a perilous journey to get the child safely to "New Jerusalem"...

It's an odd sort of Western, but in a good way. Backed up by the usual high standard of location work from Ford and the irrepressible Winton Hoch. And with customary staunch support work from Ward Bond as the Sheriff, 3 Godfathers is a must see in relation to the careers of John Ford and John Wayne. It has a mixed reputation from fans of the two Johns, which is understandable given the flighty nature of the picture, but one thing that is true about the piece is that once viewed, it's unlikely to be forgotten. 7/10

Three outlaws (John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank and are chased into the desert by the local sheriff (the always great Ward Bond). In the desert they come upon a wagon and inside is a pregnant woman, who happens to be the sheriff's niece. Helped by the three outlaws, she gives birth. Before she dies, she names the three men the baby's godfathers and makes them promise to take care of him.

This is a story that has been made many times before, although this version is the best in my opinion. This is the first version I saw so perhaps that colors my opinion somewhat. But I feel this is the most accessible telling of the story. The cast is great and the director is John Ford so that's all I need to say there. It's a different kind of holiday film but a very nice one. John Wayne fans will appreciate it most.

First-rate Western masterfully directed by the great John Ford that results to be a marvelous retelling of Peter B Kyne's saga dealing with three desperate who take a newborn baby in the desert , as the group come across a dying woman and her infant child and they promise the woman that they will take care of the child and get it to safety, even though none of them knows anything whatsoever about children or babies . After robbing the local bank , three outlaws named Robert Hightower (John Wayne) , William Kearney (Harry Carey Jr) and Pedro Roca Fuerte (Pedro Armendariz) on the run to evade the local Marshal (War Bond) and his posse . In the wilderness they then find an abandoned wagon in which there is a dying woman (Mildred Natwick) who asks for help the men . The bandits take care of her child and they swear to bring the infant to safety across the desert , even at the risk of their own lives. The outlaws set out across the desert to deliver it to safety and then decide to do their best by the newborn and not all will survive and for those who get , prison likely awaits them.

This nice Western contains interesting characters , full of wide open space and dramatic moments . This classic , sturdy picture ranks as one of the most sentimental of John Ford's work . It contains Ford's usual themes as familiar feeling , a little bit funny humor, friendship and and sense of comradeship among people and ample shots on desert landscapes ,specially on Mojave . Thought-provoking , enjoyable screenplay portraying in depth characters and brooding events with interesting issues running beneath script surface by Laurence Stallings and Frank S. Nugent , Ford's usual . Multiple highlights as the raid bank at the beginning and of course the sensible final farewell on the train station . Outdoors are pretty good and well photographed by Winton Hoch and filmed on location in Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, Carson & Colorado Railroad, Owens Valley, Death Valley National Park, Mojave Desert,Zabriskie Point and RKO Encino Ranch Los Angeles ,California . Dedicated to the filmmaker's first actor , Harry Carey Sr . This excellent film featuring a magnificent performance by whole casting , including a top-notch support cast . Awesome John Wayne in a larger-than-life character along with his two likable partners Harry Carey Jr and Pedro Armendariz . In the film appears , as usual , Ford's favourite actors as Jack Pennick , Jane Darwell , Ben Johnson , Francis Ford , Guy Kibbee , Mae Marsh , Hank Worden, and of course Ward Bond as obstinate sheriff who sets off in pursuit . Sensible and emotive musical score including wonderful songs by Richard Hageman . The movie is stunningly produced by Merian C Cooper - Argosy Pictures Production- and magnificently filmed by Ford . Remade for TV as ¨The Godchild¨ (1974) directed by John Badham with Jack Palance , Keith Carradine, Ed Lauter and Jack Warden . This may not be Ford's best Western , as many would claim , but it's still head ad shoulders above most big-scale movies .You'll find the ending over-melodramatic according to your tastes , though it's lovingly composed by John Ford who really picks up the drama and sensibility towards the ending . Rating : Better than average , worthwhile watching . .

`Three Godfathers' is cinematographically one of John Ford's finest looking Westerns. The location filming is breathtaking and comes as close as can be found in capturing the beauty of Death Valley. That the story is relatively straightforward, pretty fairly untenable and in Ford fashion highly sentimental is rather inconsequential. This is a great looking movie shot primarily in one of the most starkly striking places on Earth.

John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz and Harry Carey Jr. (one of his first roles) are bank robbers on the run, saddled with an infant they have promised to care for to its dying mother. They plunge into desperate straights as they flee across the desert. That no part of Death Valley lies close to Arizona (the story is set there) is of no account but again as in all Ford movies his vision of the American West ignores the hundreds of thousand square miles that is not Utah, Monument Valley, or as in this case, Death Valley. And that he pioneered an American View Of The West is undeniable.

Winton C. Hoch was responsible for the cinematography; he later demonstrated his art in `The Searchers' (most famous) and actually won an Oscar for `She Wore A Yellow Ribbon'. His use of color film was extraordinary and any movie he made is best viewed on the big screen.

There are numerous references to Christian views of morality sprinkled throughout the movie; Christmas is revered as the traditional American celebration, a Bible figures in Wayne's worst moments as he struggles against the wilderness and the songs we hear are primarily religious hymns. That some good comes of the efforts of the trio is redemptive enough to raise this effort above the average Western.

It is doubtful this movie could be shot again. It is exceedingly unlikely the disturbance a film crew would make while filming in a national park would be permitted. Try to imagine the rails required for the cameras being laid today.

Score: Three Stars

I can't say much for the storyline of 3 Godfathers as much as I can say for its visuals and imagery. For many, it is an allegorical tale with its heavy use of the Bible and other symbols throughout. However, I had a problem with the realism of the story, something this kind of plot needs to rely heavily on. Here we have three rough and tough men, by no means weak or unable to take care of themselves. Still, what they go through in this film along with trying to take care of a newly born infant, it boggles my mind as to how it is possible and perhaps it isn't.

I think I am reading too much into this and am missing the point John Ford was trying to make. So, I will try to understand the movie in its simplest terms. That would be that Ford was a master of imagery and using it to further the story. Here, every shot of the desert and swirling winds captures perfectly the atmosphere and mood, making the audience feel as if they are in the desert. It is most effective and does pick up some of the slack such as when the three men are first taking care of the infant or the final ten minutes in deciding Wayne's fate. All in all, this is not one of the great Ford Westerns. But, it shows once again his ability to control the mood and tone of his films and that can go a long way in providing leverage to an audience.

Nice to watch this hoary old (Christmas) chestnut at Yuletide, almost exactly 60 years after its original release. And yes, while it is guilty of a number of sins by way of corniness, improbability and sentimentality, it still works for me and proves you don't need tinsel and snow to evoke the Christmas spirit. Here old Papa Ford relates his Christmas parable against the background of the searing heat of the Arizona desert as Duke Wayne struggles against the odds to deliver orphan child Robert William Pedro to safety, bang on, wouldn't you know it, Christmas Day. All the usual Ford staples are here, the panoramic scenery, male camaraderie, bawdy humour and of course big John Wayne himself in yet another barnstorming lead role. I'm not the biggest Wayne fan going, but Ford invariably got the best out of the big lunk and he certainly carries the film (and the baby!) manfully. His two confederates, the youthful Harry Carey Jr and TexMex Pedro Armendariz both of whom sadly expire along the way, offer effective and humorous counterpoint to big John's proselytising. Ford cleverly doesn't reveal his hand too quickly with only the odd Biblical reference alluded to early on but by the time the three amigos are spotlit gazing out at the camera having just accepted the dying mother's infant child into their care, it piles on from there. Along the way the humour and sentimentality are mixed up lightly with a little (not too much) dramatic tension as Wayne completes his epic journey (like he was ever going to fail!), spurred on by the ghosts of his fallen colleagues and completes his own spiritual regeneration in accepting with good grace his jail sentence at the end in exchange for a guarantee that he'll be reunited with his infant charge once his sentence is complete. Noting that the film is Ford's own remake of his earlier silent movie production of the same story would help explain why some of the scenes are somewhat static and staged tableau-style. Wayne gets to walk more than he talks, no bad thing, and the rest of the cast are all at home under the director's loving eye. All told, then a colourful (check the blue filter shot Ford employs to evoke the desert at night) and festive treat. But surely this child wasn't the Son of God...?!

Like The Maltese Falcon, 3 Godfathers had to be made three times before we got the definitive version. This one has to rank at the top of John Wayne's films.

Wayne and fellow outlaws Pedro Armendariz and Harry Carey, Jr. arrive at the town of Welcome, Arizona and after a brief chance meeting with the marshal, Ward Bond, proceed to rob the Welcome bank.

In pursuit of the robbers, Bond shoots the waterbag draped across Wayne's saddle. And then he cleverly stations men at the few sources of water. Nevertheless the three outlaws decide to chance it across the desert.

Life takes a peculiar turn for them as they come across a dying Mildred Natwick who has just delivered an infant. Before she goes she exacts a promise from them to rescue her baby.

Even though their own freedom is at stake, Wayne, Armendariz, and Carey subordinate it to the care and rescue of the infant. At this point the Christmas parable takes over. The three wise men setting out with the infant in their charge to the nearest town which happens to be New Jerusalem, Arizona.

I said on another review of a Wayne film that John Wayne had one of the greatest faces for movie closeups ever. Check some of them here, especially during the desert trek. They say more than 10 pages of dialog. Ford, Hawks, Wellman all the great directors who worked with the Duke knew that and took advantage.

Pedro Armendariz and John Ford came to blow up on the set of 3 Godfathers according to Harry Carey, Jr.'s memoirs. Armendariz almost walked off the film. He finished it though and was great as the fatalistic Mexican outlaw. But he never worked for Ford again.

Although he'd done a few films before this, John Ford had in the credits, introducing Harry Carey, Jr. Of course the film is dedicated to his father who in fact had starred in the original silent Three Godfathers. Maybe this should have really been his debut film, Dobe Carey is just fine as the callow youth, The Abilene Kid.

This also marked the last film of veteran actor Guy Kibbee. As the practical and perceptive judge who tries Wayne, Kibbee is given a fitting swan song to a great career as a player.

This is certainly a more religious work than John Wayne is used to doing. Wayne, although he was baptized Catholic at the end of his life was not a particularly religious man. I do wonder if he had lived another decade what he would have made of the religious right.

Ford of course got in his obligatory Shall We Gather At the River, but also Bringing in the Sheaves was sung. And in the scene where a dehydrated John Wayne arrives at a saloon in New Jerusalem, the piano player is first playing The Holy City and then Silent Night. All to great effect by the way.

I think people that are not necessarily fans of the Duke will be amazed at the heights he rose to as a player in 3 Godfathers.

This is one Christmas Movie where the bible plays a major role, and there is NO snow for Christmas. Three Bandits place themselves in jeopardy for the sake of a promise they made to a dying mother (Mildred Natwick) to be the three godfathers of her baby. Excellent performances by Armendariz and Carey, Jr. keep this poignant and on the mark. Ward Bond is excellent as the relentless Marshal. Hank Worden, Guy Kibbee, and Jane Darwell lead the cast of pros around for good-natured comic relief. But, this certainly isn't a straight comedy; there's ample drama and opportunity for shedding a few tears, too.

This has been one of my favorite Christmas movie for 30+ years, and repeated viewings only reinforce my love of it.

An American western; A story set in Arizona about three outlaws entrusted with the care of a new born baby. Inspired by the fable of the Magi, it has themes about atonement and redemption, survival, and the pursuit of purpose in life. The director captures the desolation of desert, its vast and unforgiving environment which serves as brilliant setting for the test of the characters. The moving musical score is a useful bind for its many moments of warm-hearted camaraderie, high spirits and tension within the trio. By the third act, it layers religious and allegorical symbolism patently, which intrude on the plot and slow the pace. Nonetheless, it has a moving performance from John Wayne and impressive support from Pedro Armendariz, and Ward Bond as a sheriff in close pursuit.

I just watched this on TCM didn't even know that it was coming on and glad I did.

This is the first time I ever saw this film all the way through, before I've only caught snippets of it here and there as I flipped through the channels.

I have to honestly say run don't walk down to your nearest video retailer and get the DVD. There is really nothing not to like about this film, and its even got a tie in to Christmas! Directed by John Ford as a remake of his silent film "The Marked Men" (1919) which had already been made twice before the 1919 version, lol. It was also John Ford's first Technicolor film and its somewhat unique in that it actually doesn't use Monument Valley as its location.

It stars a lot of Ford's stable of actors, John Wayne, Harry Carry Jr., Ward Bond, Hank Worden, Ben Johnson, and actor Pedro Armendáriz who is just great in the role of one of the title's godfathers, Wayne & Carry Jr. being the others.

This film is now up there with "The Searchers" as my favorite Ford film. It doesn't have that "knock you over the head civics lesson" sermonizing that a lot of Fords films have, its got a little bit of schmaltz and melodrama in very small dollops that you can swallow & which is OK.

But don't get this expecting showdown gunfights, there aren't any, and the film still works.

Basically the story line: Three men ride into the town of New Jersusalem, Arizona to rob its bank. In the process Carry Jr. is wounded in the shoulder and looses his horse as they ride out of town into the desert, pursued by Sheriff Sweet (Bond) and posse members that include actors Worden and Johnson.

Sweet shoots the gangs water bag, that they don't discover until they are way out in the desert so they have to make for water. Sweet knows this and hops a train with the posse to the nearest water tank.

The gang foiled in their quest for water must make for another water hole to the north there they become the "three godfathers" of the title, I wont give any more away.

This film definitely had to have made an impression on Leone. Two things stood out for me, the first is the whole film is composed of some of the best scenery I've in a Western, scenery that will recall to you vividly Tuco & Blondie in the desert, this was shot in Death Valley, Lone Pine and the Mojave Desert, all fantastic locations, it will remind you also of Yellow Sky (too bad that film wasn't shot in color). The film takes place almost all in the desert. Its like GBU in that it becomes more than just a Western, you'll see what I mean.

The second thing that stood out is the great performance of Pedro Armendáriz what a great Mexican Actor who should have been a main character in a lot of Westerns, whats up with that, not only will he remind you a bit of a "nice" Tuco but it even looks like he's wearing Tuco's hat (the one he gets from the gunsmith), or vice versa lol.

The town sets are again spot on, and there is some great steam locomotive footage, all in all a beautiful and enjoyable film.

I watched this with my family one evening a while back.

This is a decent John Wayne movie. It builds strong characters, a team of outlaws who are nearly the tamest you'll ever see. They stumble across a pregnant woman stranded in the desert and must then cope with protecting her orphaned child from the elements. John Wayne is really cool. He's done a lot of westerns, and this is one of the few I've seen. He is an effective actor, with emotion and character you'd expect from one of the film veterans. And, though I'm not a huge western fan, this movie was satisfactory. It doesn't all have to be about shootouts, or pistols at dawn. Sometimes a decent western just has to be set in the old West, and that's all you need.

I recommend this to the Wayne fans out there, as well as those looking for a sweet, wholesome old-fashioned flick.

Overly sentimental film that drags a lot after the baby is discovered. Also, these guys have way too much energy for having barely any water for days.

I'm surprised this one doesn't get more accolades. To me it's really one of the best westerns ever made. This is one of those films that proves that the western genre can produce true art. The filming, the performances -- this is one of Wayne's best … it's quite overlooked that this guy could act: The desperation, the confusion, the exhaustion, it's all just amazing.

It's more of a character study than anything else, with the characters facing desperate thirst, an aching empty land, relentless sun, and the movie shows how these men deal with it, all the while they are attempting to care for a child. Something they are ill equipped to do.

There are clear religious elements to the movie, and they make this all the more compelling -- these are not good men, but they have a sense of honor and faith, in their own way. They can't break their word to a dying woman, to care for her child. Their faith in each other is touching.

It's gritty, yet very tender, a strange juxtaposition, like the beauty and cruelty of the desert.

See the movie if you can.

There are a few great camera shots early on and one action scene which on it's own would have made this a great film if the believability of the three wise men Bible story didn't take over in the middle and just hollow out this movie's story and rhythm.

I can't fault any true believers out there who like a new testament story but if you don't then this movie won't be for you.

The way this one is done is hard to swallow and your ability to suspend disbelief dissipates quickly. I don't mind that Ford tried to go for an epic story and merge it with a traditional western one but this just doesn't cut it.

I would have given this a 5 or 4 or if not for some of the actors.

There is a brilliant trick photography special effect near the end which helps make this worth seeing in addition to the classic Ford cinematography and brilliant cast.

Three wise thieves on the run from the law come across a stranded woman about to give birth in the middle of the dessert. Full of Religious symbols and campy moments, especially the ending. But the images are strong and John Wayne gives another outstanding performance.

A really touching, naive, heart-warming Christmas movie, even if it may be quite a tear-jerker, especially at it's end: great cinematography - watch out for the wonderful impressions of the desert (the director of cinematography started with documentaries) -, great direction and one of John Wayne's best performances - this man was not only a big star, he was a wonderful actor, too!!! Between the end of the forties and the end of the fifties Ford knew how to lead Wayne to an artistic peak. And, not to forget of course: Hank Worden, Ben Johnson, Ward Bond, Pedro Armendariz, Harry Carey jr, ... what an ensemble did Ford build up around himself!!! Highly recommended to all those who want their hearts to be touched in rough times during a cold winter evening ...

Full of the usual desert beauty but lacking the climatic battles, cavalry charges, high-speed wagon chases, or gunfights typical of the director, Ford's 'Christmas' western is a charming tale of redemption riffing on the Biblical tale of the three Wise Men. In one of the few films in which John Wayne is a 'bad guy" (or at least a malefactor), the Duke and his pardners in crime Pedro (Pedro Armendáriz) and William (Harry Carey Jr.) knock over a bank in 'Welcome' Arizona and then hightail it into the desert with a posse in pursuit. Low on water, on two horses, and with William wounded, the desperados end up at parched water hole where they find a pregnant woman, who dies shortly after giving birth to the titular trio's godson. Thirsty and increasingly desperate, the three struggle to care for the baby and to escape relentless arid sands as the posse closes in. The script and story is excellent (although the final scenes are a bit soft and sentimental compared to what goes before). In addition to the three principals, the great cast includes many of Ford's 'stock players' including Hank Warden ('Mose' in 'The Searchers' (1956)), Wayne's buddy Ward Bond (as 'Sheriff B. Sweet'), Jane Darnell (in a more lighthearted role than her vindictive 'Ma Grier' in Wellman's "The Oxbow Incident" (1943)), Ben Johnson (one of my favorite Western stalwarts), and Francis Ford (the director's brother). The film is an excellent blend of humor, pathos, and tension highlighted by great characters and outstanding desert cinematography (filmed in the Mojave Desert and around Death Valley). A great addition to anyone's Christmas movie collection, especially if you want a nice hot, dusty, break from the usual frosty 'winter wonderlands'.

Addendum, Xmas 2021: I dropped my rating by two points after watching the 1929 ('Hell's Heroes') and 1936 ('Three Godfathers') versions of Peter B. Kyne's quasi-biblical fable. They are much grittier and less sentimental than Wayne's version and lack the implausible and almost schmaltzy 'feel good' ending that I felt was the weakest part of the later film.

This might sound wondrous, but if You would ask me for my favourite movies I would say this is one of them. When I first saw the film I was so well entertained that I had not one minute I felt uncomfortable or bored, which is very seldom with me watching films. This is one of my three favourite westerns as well. It is sad to see, that in our days they are not able to make films like this one. Today they have good actors, affluence of money and technical means, but they have no soul to make films like that - and the audience, I fear, has the same deficiency. They get what they want or what they deserve. Maybe young people cannot find that movie so tremendously impressing. I am sorry for them. The movie is excellent in almost every respect. This movie is one strong example that movie-making has a right of existence. By the way it has a lot of good messages - which is also something I often miss in today's movies.

Have never viewed this film and never realized that John Wayne would ever play a role like this character he did in this Western! John Wayne,(Robert Marmaduke Sangster Hightower),"Brannigan,",'75, got himself in trouble with the law and managed to find himself adopting a BABY much to his disliking. Marmaduke also had to travel in the desert and gave the baby his last drop of water from his canteen and was able to find a donkey to help him arrive back in town. Ward Bond(Perley,'Buck'Sweet)," caught up with Marmaduke and was determined to put him in jail for 20 years. Guy Kibbee,(Judge),"Fort Apache",'48, made this film his final Swan Song, who was a great character actor. This is definitely a John Wayne Christmas FILM !

Even though 3 Godfathers is a very cute movie, there's an incredibly sadness to the premise. A woman, Mildred Natwick, dies in childbirth in the middle of the desert. Her husband is dead, and the last faces she sees are three strangers who chanced upon her wagon. She names the baby after them and makes them godfathers. Together, they have to learn how to take care of a newborn as well as survive in the desert.

Still, it's cute and heartwarming. John Wayne has never been cuter (except in Hondo), and when he rocks the little baby against his chest, my heart melts every time. Pedro Armendariz and Harry Carey Jr. Are just as sweet and clueless, reading baby manuals and trying to make milk formula out of cactus water. In the background of heartwarming fatherhood, however, is a bit of an adventure setting. After all, three men and a newborn are stranded in the desert with rattlesnakes, Indians, and sandstorms. There are moments when you don't know if they'll make it out alive, and even though there's a baby on the screen, there are some pretty dramatic moments.

John Wayne and Ward Bond fans should definitely check this movie out. There have been many versions of the story, even silent movies, but this one is my favorite.

There have been something like five versions of this film (not all with the same title) and the earliest versions were silent films. Because of this, this movie is far from original and it also doesn't stack up all that well compared to the 1936 version with Lewis Stone, Walter Brennan and Chester Morris. Had I not seen this 1936 version also, I might have rated the 1948 one much higher.

So why did I much prefer the 1936 film? Well, probably the biggest reason is that the mood of the '36 flick was much more somber and grittier--therefore a lot more believable. In contrast, the 1948 film was all sentimentality and pulled its punches to make an "inspiring film" (yuck). For example, Chester Morris' character was much meaner and more like a real bandit--so you were never positive that he wouldn't just leave the baby to die or kill his other gang members. In contrast, John Wayne just seemed to be walking through this same role--more or less playing himself and adding nothing to the part. ALL of the bandits seemed too nice to be real bandits. Another example of the mood is that the 1948 film was almost a comedy--with an inappropriately light mood at times. How can they make jokes or laugh when it seems obvious from early on that they probably won't survive?! The other main reason I disliked this film compared to the last version was because of the ending. The 1936 one was tough and unforgiving, whereas with the 1948 one it ended happily! The bottom line is that while I love John Ford Westerns, this one is so listless and ridiculous that it was a real letdown. It's still worth seeing, but took no risks and offered no improvement over the last version.